Free Scarlet Vamporium: Vamporium #2 by Poppet[vampire] Page B

manifest them, offering his to him and clinking the neck of my bottle to his, “To keeping secrets.”
    “Tae keepin' secrets,” he smiles, and it's warm and gentle.
    He's not calling me evil, he doesn't want to burn me on a stake in front of the village, he's not running screaming or throwing holy water at me, he hasn't grabbed the closest branch to impale my chest... it gives me fragile hope.
    “Em...” He wipes his mouth, looking at me with a shy expression. “Ellie, dae ye think ye can stop yer eyes from shining fer a wee bit? It's beginning tae get tae me.”
    Blinking, hard, I am abruptly reminded of how hot my eyes are. I wasn't even aware I was glowing. Looking at him after shutting it down, we're now in a gloom so deep it smacks of doom.
    His hand comes up to cradle my cheek, graceful blunt fingers slipping into my hair, and he whispers much too close, “Yer like will-o-the-wisp. Ye move like light across the marsh, gliding with grace and beauty when the rest of the world is a stinky bog.”
    It's such a romantic thing to say, as if I tapped deep into his heart with my emotional outburst to unleash the ovate hidden in his DNA by his ancestors, that I smile, stopping myself from calling him sweet, again.
    My smile freezes and my throat dehydrates when his long hair slips into my neckline and he tilts over me, carefully pressing a kiss onto my lips.
    Closing my eyes when my blood flares with frenzied excitement, I clench my fingers tightly onto his legs, gripping for stability because the world is spinning so fast it leaves me breathless.

 
    Chapter 9
     
    Ellindt:
     
    The distinct sound of heavy weight cracking organic debris snaps us apart, our hearts racing for a completely different reason.
    Holding my breath, my grasp clinging to his legs, we watch and wait, discerning a bulky shadow sneaking closer.
    Reacting with instinct, I think of our rock and transport us there in a moment. Losing his balance, clutching his head, Doug wobbles before flinging his arms out to grip the ground sloping up behind us, stabilizing himself.
    We're in exactly the same position on our knees, just in a different location.
    “What the hell?”
    “Shh,” I warn, holding his legs tighter to impress he stay silent while I listen for the intruder. When all that greets me is natural woodland activity, I whisper, “Who was that tracking us?”
    “Ellindt, how... whit...?” He winces, prying my hands off his legs, “That's one hell of a grip ye ha'e there.”
    Sagging back, I dare to breathe, pulling my legs up and slumping against the firmness of rocky ground. “I'm sorry, I didn't have time to warn you. I reacted without thinking.”
    “How did ya dae that?”
    “It's an ability I have. We transport at will, by thought.”
    “That's how ye disappeared earlier?”
    I nod, nibbling my lip, worried I've just done the one thing that will send him running for the hills.
    Rubbing his thighs where I held him, as if dissipating the imminent bruise, he smiles, “That's pretty cool.”
    Sitting straight, awareness hits me a second too late. The scent of the spy reached me before we vanished.
    “Whit? Yer eyes are glowin' again. I'm taeking that as a sign of emotional distress. Whit can ye sense?”
    “It was Roddie. Does he know how to find us? Does he know which rock is ours?”
    “Roddie?” He's frowning, brushing the long hair off his face with obvious agitation. “Naw, I dinnae think so. How could he?” Reaching out he holds my knee with a solid grip, “We're miles away from where we were. He'll never find us now.”
    “Good,” I breathe with relief, sitting back again to stare out at the sheer slope and the mountains scrolling around us.
    “We fergot our beers again,” he grumbles, relaxing next to me, balancing his elbows on his tented knees and glaring moodily out at the night.
    Thinking of them left side by side where our legs pressed into damp earth, I capture and manifest them into my hands, concentrating to